Jupiter 12 w/out finder

W

wlewisiii

Guest
Morning all,
Just won a J12 off of the bay for cheap (misfiled under leica :) ) for my Kiev. I don't have a 35mm finder right now - how difficult is it to frame for this lens without a finder? Can I just use all of the window while realizing there will be more outside of the view? Or is the FOV just too great to do that easily?

How about for other lenses - the 85 and 135?

I do intend to get a turret finder eventually, so I'd rather not buy separate ones right now.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

William
 
The FOV of the Kiev covers the 50mm finder. It would not cover the 35mm lens. I can get away with that trick on my S2 and SP, but not on the Contax. You need a finder.
 
Re: Jupiter 12 w/out finder

wlewisiii said:
Morning all,
Just won a J12 off of the bay for cheap (misfiled under leica :) ) for my Kiev. I don't have a 35mm finder right now - how difficult is it to frame for this lens without a finder? Can I just use all of the window while realizing there will be more outside of the view? Or is the FOV just too great to do that easily?

How about for other lenses - the 85 and 135?

I do intend to get a turret finder eventually, so I'd rather not buy separate ones right now.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

William
Click to expand...

I have a finder for 35mm but most of times I don't use it.
35mm has a nice feature: the distance between you and subject is approximately your shot's wideness.
I love 35mm so much for this :p
 
I have several 35mm finders, but I still use my J-12 and Summaron frequently with only the 50mm finder in the camera. Adding the finder makes the camera a little bit harder to carry in a fanny pack or under a coat. After you have exposed several rolls of fim this way you can pretty much estimate where the frame limits are. The J-12 shots I have in the Gallery were all done by "aiming" through the 50mm finder.

-Paul
 
I'm thinking that what I'm going to do is get a protractor, some light cardboard, tape and an exato knife and simply make a "finder" that will outline the angle of view. Put it into the shoe and get used to what it shows and eventually get to where you're at Paul.

Thanks for the advice folks!

William
 
William, you could start with a standard 35mm slide mount as a frame. Holding this a focal-length's distance from your eye gives you the view of that focal length. This might be made more convenient with another piece of card stock with an eye-hole, fixed somehow that focal length away from the slide.
 
I liked that idea and stopped at a camera shop on the way into work today for an empty slide. (I don't do slides, so I didn't have any). I may just cut off a ruler at 14cm and make it slide along that for a homebrew "universal" finder. I'll have to share pics when it's done.

William
 
Before Leicas with viewfinder frames came along, all RF cameras required separate finders for anything other than a 50mm. The RF mechanism was geared to the 50mm, and that was it. Wide angles might get by, especially a 35mm, but teles were another story. Back in my younger days, I used to wonder why you saw old Leicas with those 'extra' finders on them. Now I know!!

Keep in mind also that, if it were left up to the lens, the camera is an appendage. ALL lenses project a CIRCULAR view. It's the camera that determines (along with focal length) the end shape of the format.
 
WhooHoo. Just got the lens from my mailman. 1958 production from the serial number. Talk about pretty - really good condition, front and rear lens caps plus a plastic lens case. Elements are clear, no scratches, etc. Only problem I can see right now is that it is a bit stiff on the helical. OTOH, it's been in a mail truck all morning, so it may just be cold.

Time to go burn some film with my homegrown finder and see how it works.

William
 
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